Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I live in Montreal now (Plateau-Mont-Royal) and can only confirm that French is live and well. Sure you have some individuals speaking English sporadically here and there, but make no mistake that the predominant, over-arching language of the day is French and French only. People would only speak English to you as an accommodation if you are pure anglophone, otherwise the preferred language is French in Montreal.
This whole thread reminds me of an earlier Parti Quebecois attempt to rile up their base (LOOK we now have 69% of French speakers in [insert middle of nowhere town] vs. 70.5% 10 years ago.... so let's all panic). Like, seriously, get a grip. In the case of PQ, that was a nothing but a vote splitting strategy to rile up their base before this year's provincial election, because we all know that PQ has not been able to come up any substantial policies on the economy, environment, public transit, technology/cloud computing/AI/innovation/digital economy - you know, things that actually matter in 2018.
And disclaimer - I support French language usage 100% throughout Quebec, because it's what makes Quebec - and Canada - unique in terms of its history and cultural identity which is deeply rooted in the French language.
I live in Montreal now (Plateau-Mont-Royal) and can only confirm that French is live and well. Sure you have some individuals speaking English sporadically here and there, but make no mistake that the predominant, over-arching language of the day is French and French only. People would only speak English to you as an accommodation if you are pure anglophone, otherwise the preferred language is French in Montreal.
This whole thread reminds me of an earlier Parti Quebecois attempt to rile up their base (LOOK we now have 69% of French speakers in [insert middle of nowhere town] vs. 70.5% 10 years ago.... so let's all panic). Like, seriously, get a grip. In the case of PQ, that was a nothing but a vote splitting strategy to rile up their base before this year's provincial election, because we all know that PQ has not been able to come up any substantial policies on the economy, environment, public transit, technology/cloud computing/AI/innovation/digital economy - you know, things that actually matter in 2018.
And disclaimer - I support French language usage 100% throughout Quebec, because it's what makes Quebec - and Canada - unique in terms of its history and cultural identity which is deeply rooted in the French language.
Oh speaking of the devil and making a counterpoint to QC Opec. Good job buddy and welcome back. Hope you had a smooth move
People of French Canadian descent were a minority in 19th- and 20th-century New England. They could never make it a Francophone nation by numbers. Paul Lepage, Maine’s current governor, grew up speaking French.
Actually, there was a bilingual French-English nation in northernmost New England:
The North of New Englang had a French majority, since the overwhelming population was centered in the South and was English, the majority of all of New England was clearly English. The borders were not finite back then and subject to many changes. The French-Americans could have formed a state on their own. The state could have been called "Acadia":
I live in Montreal now (Plateau-Mont-Royal) and can only confirm that French is live and well. Sure you have some individuals speaking English sporadically here and there, but make no mistake that the predominant, over-arching language of the day is French and French only. People would only speak English to you as an accommodation if you are pure anglophone, otherwise the preferred language is French in Montreal.
Problem with the French is they have this perpetual victim mentality as can be seen in the topics title, those poor French people subjected to eternal suppression and domination by those dastardly English overlords and now in what remains of the French in North America is a culture propped up by draconian language laws and language police to enforce those laws.
On a side note Mouldy what would be your response if a government informed you that English would no longer be tolerated and you were forced to speak another language.?
I sometimes think that "Je me souviens" on a Quebec license plate translates best as "I hold a grudge".
lol that's funny - calling one self a legend - no problems there
Anyway we in English Canada aren't so rabid about language protection but it is a different environment than in Quebec so I get it. Y'all are 8.5 million in a sea of 100's of millions of Anglo dominance on the continent. You're worried that that 8.5 million will be fractured/split and lose influence and control in that bubble. I got it! The U.S even though demographically changing is still an anglo country and Canada majority anglo - there is a lot more depth there to absorb others and not feel as though the end is nigh. Do what ya gotta do but the moment you start trying to dictate what we got to do on your own terms is when problems will arise.
Heh heh. I am heading back to Montreal in a couple of weeks to take advantage of a long weekend and the City's free museums day. I shall make some sharp observations into how much English is being used in both speaking and writing. And no I don't plan on sticking around tourist areas only (I never do in my travels and those who have read my travel reviews in this forum know this already). I hope to visit Laval, which I have never been to before and maybe Brossard too. If I encounter many instances of people not knowing how to speak English or speaking English with a thick French accent as well as signage only in French, then QuebecOpec can rest and relax. Montreal will forever remain uniquely French Canadian.
You really think QuebecOpec is bokstonkid in disguise????
QuebecOpec ia good in English but there are some subtle gallicisms in his writing that to me make it obvious he is not bostonkid.
maybe
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It is migration from France that prevents French from deterioraiting in Plateau and makes French doing so well there. I wish the rest of Montréal would also get such a boost from France. You can be lucky to be in Plateau, it's where all the young francophones wanna be and the best French is spoken.
